Windows 10 Keyboard Shortcuts: The Ultimate Guide

If you use a mouse or touchpad a lot, it can be frustrating when either or both of them slow you down or stop working altogether. With a keyboard though, you can quickly accomplish any task you’d typically do with your mouse or touchpad through a simple simultaneous press of two or more keys.

As helpful as they are, keyboard shortcuts can also be daunting to memorize and use at first, but once you get the hang of it, they’ll enhance your Windows 10 experience.

In this definitive guide, we’re going to show you the commonly used and new Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts for easier navigation and better productivity.

Windows 10 Keyboard Shortcuts

Clipboard Shortcut Keys
App Keyboard Shortcuts
System Hotkeys
Function Keys
Moving Cursor
Arrow Key Shortcuts
Tabs And Windows
File Explorer Shortcuts
Dialog Box Shortcuts
Cortana Keyboard Shortcuts
Game Bar Shortcuts
Groove Music Shortcuts
Snip & Sketch Shortcuts
Windows Logo Key Shortcuts (Commonly Used)
TV and Movies Shortcuts

Clipboard Shortcut Keys

• Select all items in window or document: CTRL + A

• Copy: CTRL + C or CTRL + INSERT

• Cut: CTRL + X

• Paste: CTRL + V or SHIFT + INSERT

• Take a screenshot: Windows logo key + PrtScn (Print Screen) or Fn + Windows logo key + Space Bar

App Keyboard Shortcuts

• Hide open apps and go to desktop: Windows + D

• Minimize all open windows and apps: Windows + M

• Snap a window or app to the left side of the screen: Windows + Left Arrow

• Snap window or app to the right side of the screen: Windows + Right Arrow

• Minimize all windows and apps: Windows + Down arrow

• Maximize all open windows and apps that have been minimized: Windows + Up arrow

• Open Task Manager: CTRL + SHIFT + ESC

• Switch between open apps: ALT + TAB

• Show open apps: CTRL + ALT + TAB

• Open Sticky Notes app: Windows + 0 (zero)

• Close active item or exit active app: ALT + F4

• Show password on sign-in screen: ALT + F8

• Switch between windows in order of their opening: ALT + ESC

• Display the selected item’s properties: ALT + SPACEBAR

• Go back to the previous folder: ALT + LEFT ARROW

• Go forward/View the next folder: ALT + RIGHT ARROW

• Move up one screen: ALT + PAGE UP

• Move down one screen: ALT + PAGE DOWN

System Hotkeys

• Open and close Start Menu: Windows key

• Open Start: CTRL + ESC

• Open Settings: Windows + I

• Open Action Center: Windows + A

• Open File Explorer: Windows + E

• Task View: Windows + Tab

• Display/Hide desktop: Windows + D

• Shutdown options: Windows + X

• Lock PC: Windows + L

• Maximize window: Windows + Up Arrow

• Open Xbox Game bar when playing a game on your laptop or computer: Windows + G

• Activate Connect menu to link your Windows 10 device and another via Bluetooth: Windows + K

• Lock Windows 10 device and go back to sign-in screen: Windows + L

• Switch between language and keyboard options: Windows + Space bar

• Stop or leave current task: ESC

• Delete selected item permanently (without moving to Recycle Bin first): SHIFT + DELETE

• Close active document: CTRL + F4

Function Keys

• Open Help window or page: F1

• Rename selected item: F2

• Search for a file or folder in File Explorer: F3

• Display address bar list in File Explorer: F4

• Refresh active window: F5 or CTRL+R

• Cycle through screen elements on desktop or in a window: F6

• Activate menu bar in active app: F10

Moving Cursor

• Move the cursor to the start of the next word: CTRL + Right Arrow

• Move the cursor back to the start of the previous word: CTRL + Left Arrow

• Move the cursor back to the start of the previous paragraph: CTRL + Up Arrow

• Move the cursor to the start of the next paragraph: CTRL + Down Arrow

• Go to the start of a document: CTRL + Left arrow

• Go to the end of a document: CTRL + Right arrow

Arrow Key Shortcuts

• Switch between all open apps: CTRL + ALT + TAB

• Move group or tile in the specified direction: ALT + SHIFT + Arrow keys

• Move a tile into another tile to create a folder on the Start menu: CTRL + SHIFT + Arrow keys

• Resize the Start menu when open: CTRL + Arrow keys

• Select multiple individual items on the desktop or in a window: CTRL + Arrow key + Spacebar

• Select a block of text: CTRL + SHIFT with an arrow key

• Switch keyboard layout when multiple keyboard layouts are available: CTRL + SHIFT

• Turn Chinese Input Method Editor on/off: CTRL + Spacebar

• Display shortcut menu for selected item: SHIFT + F10

• Select more than one item on the desktop or in a window, or select text in a document: SHIFT + any arrow key

• Open a submenu or the next menu to the right: Right arrow

• Open a submenu or the next menu to the left: Left arrow

Tabs And Windows

• Open a new tab in your web browser: CTRL + T

• Reopen a tab you just closed: CTRL + SHIFT + T

• View your browsing history: CTRL+H

• Close a window: CTRL + W

File Explorer Shortcuts

• Select the address bar: ALT + D

• Select the Search box: CTRL + E or CTRL + F

• Open a new window: CTRL + N

• Close the active window: CTRL + W

• Change the size and appearance of the file and folder icons: CTRL + Mouse scroll wheel

• Display all folders above the selected folder: CTRL + SHIFT + E

• Create a new folder: CTRL + SHIFT + N

• Display subfolders under the selected folder: NUM LOCK + Asterisk (*)

• Display contents of the selected folder: NUM LOCK + Plus (+)

• Collapse the selected folder: NUM LOCK + Minus (-)

• Show preview panel: ALT + P

• View next folder: ALT + Right arrow

• View the location folder: ALT + Up arrow

• View previous folder: ALT + Left arrow or Backspace

• Display current selection if collapsed, or select first subfolder: Right arrow

• Open the next menu to the left or close a submenu: Left arrow

• Display bottom of the active window: End key

• Display top of the active window: Home key

• Minimize or maximize active window: F11

Dialog Box Shortcuts

• Display active list items: F4

• Move forward through tabs: CTRL + TAB

• Move back through tabs: CTRL + SHIFT + TAB

• Move to a certain tab: CTRL + Number (between 1 and 9)

• Move forward through options: TAB

• Move back through options: SHIFT + TAB

• Perform command or select option used with a letter: ALT + Underlined Letter

• Clear or select checkbox if the active option is a checkbox: Spacebar

• Open a folder one level up if the folder is selected in the Open or Save As dialog box: Backspace

• Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons: Arrow keys

Cortana Keyboard Shortcuts

• Open Search: Windows + S

• Open Cortana in listening mode to speak without pressing microphone button: Windows + C

Note: By default, this shortcut is disabled. To activate it, press Windows + I to open Settings, select Cortana and then select the switch just under Let Cortana listen for my commands when I press Windows logo key + C. If it’s On, the shortcut will work.

Game Bar Shortcuts

• Open Game bar when a game is open: Windows + G

• Record the last 30 seconds: Windows + ALT + G

• Start/Stop recording: Windows + ALT + R

• Take screenshot of the game: Windows + ALT + PRINT SCREEN

• Show/Hide recording timer: Windows + ALT + T

• Turn microphone on/off: Windows + ALT + M

• Start/Stop broadcasting: Windows + ALT + B

• Show camera while broadcasting: Windows + ALT + W

Groove Music Shortcuts

• Play/Pause: CTRL + P

• Skip to next song: CTRL + F

• Skip to previous song or restart current song: CTRL + B

• Volume up: F9 or volume up key

• Volume down: F8 or volume down key

• Mute volume: F7 or mute key

• Select item and enter selection mode: CTRL + Enter

• Select All: CTRL + A

• Delete selected item or items: Delete

• Play selected item: CTRL + SHIFT + P

• Repeat On/Off: CTRL + T

• Shuffle On/Off: CTRL + H

• Search: CTRL + Q

Snip & Sketch Shortcuts

• Create new snip: CTRL + N

• Open a file: CTRL + O

• Move cursor to select rectangular snip area: SHIFT + Arrow keys

• Select Eraser: CTRL + E

• Print annotation: CTRL + P

• Undo annotation: CTRL + Z

Windows Logo Key Shortcuts (Commonly Used)

• Wake PC from black or blank screen: Windows + CTRL + SHIFT + B

• Turn on Narrator: Windows + CTRL + Enter

• Display System Properties dialog box: Windows + Pause

• Search for PCs on a network: Windows + CTRL + F

• Open Emoji panel: Windows + period (.) or semicolon (;)

• Open Ease of Access Center: Windows + U

• Switch through apps on taskbar: Windows + T

• Take a partial screenshot of your screen: SHIFT + S

• Open Run dialog box: Windows + R

• Choose presentation display mode: Windows + P

• Switch input between Windows Mixed Reality and desktop: Windows + Y

• Minimize all windows: Windows + M

TV and Movies Shortcuts

• Play in full-screen: ALT + Enter

• Exit full-screen: ESC

• Play or Pause with video in focus: CTRL + P or Spacebar

• Turn repeat On/Off: CTRL + T

Have we missed any specific Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts that you’d like to know about? Let us know by dropping your comment in the section below.